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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: cap · fork · mine · mouse · file · wax · spring · hide

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. cap — a lid
  3. cap — a hat
  4. file — a document
  5. mine — for digging
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. spring — the season
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. file — a line of people
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. fork — in a road
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. spring — a coil
  17. file — a tool
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. cap — of ice
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. wax — to grow
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. spring — of water
  24. mine — an explosive

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com